To start, you may be asking yourself: “What does ‘Comps’ even stand for and why does everyone keep talking about it?” For History PhD programs in the United States, “comps” has become the shorthand terminology for “comprehensive examinations,” and if you are in your first or second year, you probably just felt that familiar twinge of panic that often accompanies any discussion of the topic.
However, comprehensive examinations—sometimes also called “qualifying exams”—do not have to be the scary ‘elephant in the room’ they are often made out to be by well-meaning older students and professors. Instead, the first step to conquering Comps, and the fear they elicit, is to understand what they are, what they are designed to test, and how they work. By demystifying comprehensive exams, you will be ready to embark on the preparation process with confidence and focus.
What are Comps?
Comps can vary from program to program, but typically, they are a series of written and oral exams designed to test your expertise in three subject areas, also commonly referred to as “exam fields.” Usually, Comps require three historiographical essays on each of your subject areas, exploring a sampling of monographs written in that field, and demonstrating your knowledge and comprehension of how that field has evolved over time. Some programs may allow alternatives for one of your essays, such as a sample syllabus demonstrating how you would teach a class in a given subject area. Along with essays, many programs also require a “defense” or oral examination. During oral exams, you field questions from advisors about your essays, the monographs you have read, and the general state of the field for your chosen subject areas. Think of it as a long-form conversation aimed at showing your ability to think on your feet and explain your written work with more analysis.
Historically, many PhD programs have conducted the written portion of comprehensive exams in a timed setting—only allowing students a specific amount of time to write their essays—followed immediately by the oral examination. It is this rigorous method of Comps that is, in large part, responsible for its intimidating reputation. However, much to the relief of graduate students everywhere, many programs now allow students to complete their essays on their own timetable with multiple rounds of revisions before scheduling their oral defense. While not every program follows this new model, many believe it to be more conducive to comprehension rather than memorization. That being said, if your program still utilizes the timed method, do not despair! The writing expectations of timed Comps are usually much more limited when compared to untimed exams (and you have the advantage of getting the process over with much faster!).
What are Comps designed to test?
Comprehensive exams serve multiple functions, the most important of which is to test your mastery of three subject areas within the historical discipline. “Mastery” can be a fluid term whose exact parameters are determined by your program, which is why it is important to consult your student handbook and be in regular communication with your primary advisor throughout the Comps process. In general, mastery in this context means that you can embark on a research project or teach a class in a specific subject area with a solid foundation of knowledge and an understanding of the current lines of inquiry within the field. Since doing and writing history is all about expanding or challenging historiographical precedents, PhD programs need to ensure that students not only understand how to interpret the past but that they can also identify where and how their interpretation fits into the existing literature. Comprehensive examinations, therefore, serve as the test for how well students can recognize and analyze existing arguments in a field, including how they overlap and influence one another. With this skill, students are better able to craft their own historical arguments and articulate their significance. All of this is why comprehensive exams take place after coursework has been completed and prior to beginning work on your dissertation.
How do Comps work?
The first step in preparing for your comprehensive examinations is choosing your three exam fields. Fields can be thematic—such as Black History or Public History—or chronological—such as nineteenth-century US History. Ideally, exam fields should reflect your research and teaching aspirations since they are designed to adequately prepare you for those tasks, but oftentimes, early graduate students aren’t exactly sure what they would like to study, and choosing Comps fields can feel like a lot of pressure.
The good news is that you are not alone in this process! Comps fields should be developed in close concert with your primary advisor—who can guide you to fields that are best suited to your research interests or that you already have a strong foundation in because of your graduate courses. Depending on how early you begin to think about Comps, your graduate school courses can help you to get a significant portion of your reading out of the way ahead of your exams.
Once you have chosen your exam fields, it is time to identify three subject-matter experts to lead you in the preparation process. This “comps committee,” as it is known, will also be responsible for conducting the defense portion of the exam. Your primary advisor is almost always on your Comps committee, since they are an expert in a field that you would like to emulate, and the remaining two (or more, depending on your program) committee members are usually, but not always, professors with whom you’ve had classes. It is best to consult your primary advisor when developing your committee. Once members have been identified, you will need to reach out to them independently to ensure that they are available. An important note: your Comps committee is not your dissertation committee. Although there may be some natural overlap, that is a separate process entirely.
With your committee’s guidance, you will then create three reading lists of relevant monographs in your chosen fields. Your reading lists typically serve two purposes: to be the roadmap for your comprehensive exams, reflecting the monographs you need to know to be an expert in that field, and as practical compilations of books that you can refer back to when writing your dissertation or teaching a class. Reading lists can range anywhere from 75 to 250 books each, depending on your program’s requirements and your needs. If you need help compiling Comps lists, reach out to other graduate students in your department who have already defended. They may be willing to share their lists and provide examples of the kinds of books that should be on specific topic lists.
Just like your subjects, reading lists should be developed and negotiated with your committee members. Your committee will have different expectations for the number of books on your list, as well as whether you are expected to have read every title. That being said, these lists are intended to reflect the historiography of a specific field, and you are usually expected to read most, if not all of them, in preparation for the exam. Since your essays could not possibly contain an analysis of every book on your reading list, advisors may ask questions in the oral examination about books that do not appear in your historiographical essays, so it is best to come prepared and have a clear idea of your committee’s expectations.
After the finalization of your reading lists, the preparation begins! In this stage, you will read all of the necessary monographs that you have not already, take notes, write your essays, and practice answering possible questions that may arise during the oral examination. There are a variety of ways to tackle this crucial part of the process, and there are a variety of timelines you can follow. Be sure to keep reading Clio and Contemporary’s Comps series for more tips and tricks on how to prepare for your comprehensive examinations.
Once your preparation is complete, you will submit your essays to your committee and schedule your oral examination, which typically lasts between one and two hours. After a brief deliberation in which you will likely be asked to leave the room, your committee will inform you of whether you have passed or failed your Comps. In this way, the oral portion of comprehensive exams functions like a miniature version of your dissertation defense and, in fact, is often intended to prepare you for that part of your program.
Passing or failing your comprehensive exams depends entirely on your committee members’ assessment of your written and oral work and whether you have demonstrated mastery of your subject areas. Different programs have different stipulations about whether you are allowed to sit for comprehensive exams more than once, which is another reason why it is important to understand the expectations of your committee and your program and to seek clarification beforehand if necessary. Once you have passed your Comps, you are one step closer to your dissertation and one step closer to earning your PhD!
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